-- a university of arizona
course on methods and approaches for studying the future
Ignorance
happens to everyone. Knowing what you don't know is important for everyone. Unfortunately,
there is not a lot written (that I can find) on this subject. Most is someone
from a particular viewpoint that is calling those with other views as "ignorant".
This shows how neglected this field is, but it is immensely important in future
studies to know what you don't know, so you can get on with finding out new information
and accepting new ideas. You may also want to review "knowing
what you don't know" for additional approaches.
Assumptions
Often assumptions are
not stated. This leads others to speculate on what assumptions really were
used or the reader inserts their own assumptions. Were the assumption s avoided
because the author did not know how to address assumptions, or because their
own values were such that the item seemed like a fact. Did the reader do the
same thing, and read their own "facts" into the reading. Knowing
how to separate fact from guessing is essential, otherwise the writer and
the reader may attach different meanings to the same content..
Ignorance Questions
What do you know you
know?
What do you know you
do not know?
What are the things
you don't know you don't know?
What do you think you
know but you really don't know?
Taboos and forbidden
knowledge - what is untouchable?
Denials - what is too
painful to know and therefore you don't know?
What are the dangers
of not knowing something and what are the benefits?
Under what conditions
(e.g., state of mind, location) to you do your best "thinking, reflecting,
pondering"?
Possible Actions
Ask experts what they
know and what they don't know
Read statements by visionaries
about what they think the future may bring
Do a literature search
on what is unknown in your field of study (includes topics of great controversy)
Speculate on how the
unknown might become known
Read what others have
defined as " the most important discoveries in the next 50 years)
Questions to ask
yourself
What is the most important
question in your discipline or field of study?
What makes that question
so important?
What can you do to learn
more about the question?
Some of my learning about
this subject is based on the Medical
Ignorance Program by Dr. Marlys Witte, University of Arizona Department
of Surgery.